A grand old theatre, an old inner-city hotel, a modern university building, and an expensive housing sub-division are competing for honours in a top environmental award.

The Christchurch City Council’s annual environmental awards will be announced on 29 October 1999 in three categories.

In the Built Environment category the finalists are the Theatre Royal (for re-use and conservation), the Excelsior Hotel (retention, re-use, and conservation), Canterbury University’s new mathematics department, and the Broadoaks sub-division, Cashmere.

In the Natural Environment category Riccarton Bush, the University of Canterbury grounds, and the Ilam Homestead will be vying for the top award.

In the new category of Services to the Environment the Summit Road Society, the New Brighton Pier and Foreshore Society, and Email Appliances (NZ) Ltd, Welles Street, are competing for the award.

The awards were initiated in 1996 and since then the Environment Committee has administered them with the first being awarded in 1998 to Christ’s College in the Built Environment category and to Lady Isaac and Peacock Springs in the Natural Environment category.

This year’s judging panel was headed by the chairwoman of the Environment Committee, Cr Anna Crighton, who said that entries embraced a wide range of activities.

"This year’s are as diverse as a suburban housing sub-division to the conservation and re-use of a heritage building," she said.

The judging panel, besides members of the Environment Committee, included Sir Miles Warren, architect, Dr Brian Molloy, botanist, and John Dryden, the City Council’s planner.

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